I Have 10 Trillion Dollars only Usable For Simping Chapter 2089 - 1346: News (Happy New Year!) (2)

"I understand."

————

Boss Jiang didn't share the same flight with Jin Zhuxuan. Following the show, she enjoyed a peaceful slumber that lasted right through to noon the following day.

Clearly.

She likely avoided any bad dreams.

"My dear Zhu Xuan, you've put in so much effort, come on, dig in more."

The old lady, with her hair neatly bundled, showed deep worry while setting out a spread of meals.

The daughter-in-law arranged the utensils, adding with a hint of bitterness, "Grandma held off just for you and kept everyone from bothering you."

Jin Zhuxuan acted as if she missed that remark, "Where is Dad?"

"No need to fret over him."

Evidently.

He's likely out strolling once more.

"In a few days, I'm heading back to Shen Zhou."

With utensils in hand, Jin Zhuxuan made her declaration.

"Oh, my Zhu Xuan must return to work so soon."

The old lady felt not only unwilling but brimming with worry.

"Grandma, please look after yourself."

"Silly child, don't concern yourself with us old folks; you're out there alone abroad, so make sure to stay safe, eat properly each day, and rest up when you're weary..."

"Mom, she's a big girl now, and she mentioned things are quite laid-back in Shen Zhou."

Jin Zhuxuan's mother gave a resigned smile.

The old lady let out a sigh, "My Zhu Xuan, if you could just meet a fine match soon, Grandma could finally relax."

Jin Zhuxuan's mother appeared even more resigned, her chopsticks nudging the rice grains, "Mom, she mentioned she has someone she fancies."

Jin Zhuxuan kept her gaze lowered, quietly munching away.

"Ah, ah, ah..."

All of a sudden.

Peculiar cries echoed from beyond the door.

The Jin family, mid-meal, peered toward the courtyard, spotting the "head of the household" coming back, though his stance... lacked any poise.

He seemed startled, nearly tripping as he dashed indoors.

"This boy, getting tipsy in broad daylight!"

The old lady assumed her son had overindulged, her expression turning sour.

Fitting the usual family dynamic, Jin Zhuxuan's mother set aside her chopsticks and rose at once to steady her agitated spouse.

Strange.

No whiff of booze.

Still, his breaths came quick, and his manner was truly off.

Sweat beaded across his brow.

"What occurred?"

Jin Zhuxuan's mother asked softly.

"Jun, Jun..."

Jin Zhuxuan's father faltered, his speech muddled.

"Take it easy, there's no rush."

Jin Zhuxuan's mother guided her husband inward, seated him, and fetched a cup of water.

"Gulp."

Jin Zhuxuan's father downed a large swallow, panted deeply, stared with bulging eyes, and prior to explaining, cautioned his mother, "Mom, try not to overreact."

The old lady looked baffled, the lines around her eyes and forehead creasing further.

"At your age, still causing such a fuss."

Jin Zhuxuan's father shot a look at his daughter, pausing as if unsure.

Jin Zhuxuan gripped her chopsticks, face composed, and proactively inquired, "Dad, what's wrong?"

With the entire family watching, Jin Zhuxuan's father's eyes flickered, revealing disbelief, as he parted his lips slowly and gravely.

"Junxiang, Liu Junxiang, took his own life."

The atmosphere turned utterly quiet.

"Who did you say?"

The old lady froze in shock.

"Liu Junxiang, it was all over the news; he hung himself in his apartment."

His very own apartment.

Quite believable.

It came complete with a note and the noose.

Unlike the family's stunned hush, Jin Zhuxuan stayed remarkably composed, though no one noticed then.

"How could that be? Junxiang shared the stage with Zhu Xuan only yesterday?"

The Jin mother gazed vacantly at her daughter.

"Dad, are you certain it's Oppa Junxiang?"

Noticing her mother's stare, Zhu Xuan stepped in to continue. Though she started as a singer, she'd ventured into acting in Shen Zhou and picked up some skills.

"It's him! The report confirmed it, Liu Junxiang of FOX. He ended it last night, immediately after your show."

"This young man... never struck me as the type to do such a thing..." the old lady whispered.

Even if she hadn't fully warmed to Liu Junxiang, he was a youth she'd seen mature, and losing a life like this was tough to swallow on short notice.

"I can't believe it either. When he visited last, he seemed totally healthy. Something suspicious is going on here!"

Jin father declared assuredly.

"But the news said it was suicide; could they get it wrong?" Jin mother couldn't resist pointing out.

"Every bit of news is fabricated! Folks only catch what certain powers want shown! Junxiang was surely killed."

Jin father stated with absolute certainty, his heart aching and full of remorse for the young man's passing. His bold claim startled the old lady.

"Zhu Xuan, you must head to Shen Zhou fast. It's far too risky staying put."

The old lady urged her granddaughter in a rush.

How sinister must the world be for a fit youth to vanish so abruptly?

"Last visit, Junxiang asked about Xuejing. Might his end tie to Xuejing going missing?"

Jin mother offered a logical guess.

Partly right, partly off.

In truth, Zhu Xuan held the keys to easing all their family's questions, yet sharing them was out of the question.

The elderly caretaker was too frail for more jolts.

Besides, she wouldn't voice that Liu Junxiang's fate was fitting.

His real nature shouldn't come from her lips.

"Mom, stop letting your mind wander. We have to believe the authorities. They'll dig up the facts for sure. Oppa Junxiang... won't pass without justice."

Right at that moment.

Jin father grabbed the remote, flicked on the television, and tuned to the news.

The enigmatic end of a boy band star sparked massive buzz, with outlets scrambling to cover it. Jin father quickly located the segment.

Zhu Xuan observed the footage of Liu Junxiang's remains being removed from the structure.

"Xuejing... right, could Xuejing have suffered the same...

Jin father's voice carried deep concern; the deeper he pondered, the more chilled he grew, and soon he fretted over his own child too.

Junxiang.

Xuejing.

Both close companions to his daughter.

"Zhu Xuan, heed your grandma, depart at once for Shen Zhou, the earlier the better—today if possible...

"Breaking news from our channel..."

Jin father's urging got cut off by the TV's abrupt shift, the display altering too.

What urgent update could eclipse a idol's baffling suicide?

No doubt needed.

Broadcasters always rank stories wisely.

This abrupt pivot surely meant something big.

As expected.

As the fresh bulletin unfolded, the Jin household—including Zhu Xuan, already reeling from Liu Junxiang's demise—remained glued to the set, eyes wide and vacant before the devastating visuals.

"This morning, a flight with 180 aboard swerved from the runway during departure at Seoul Airport, slamming into the perimeter barrier and bursting into flames. Fire officials report that, aside from three crew who survived, the remaining 177 lost their lives. The plane left Seoul bound for Shen Zhou, carrying mostly Shen Zhou nationals. The accident's cause remains under probe..."

Small wonder it buried even a star's tragic passing.

177.

The sheer scale stunned.

One soul's worth pales against that toll, plain to see.

When a crash strikes, it grabs headlines inevitably, for flights stay safe routinely, yet a single mishap guarantees horror beyond measure.

The channel now replayed the sequence: the jet's rollout, the botched ascent, the wall impact, and through the screen, the blaze's fury and riders' hopelessness pierced through.

"This..."

The old lady wandered in thought; through all her years, such a barrage of upheavals crammed into mere hours was rare indeed.

Jin father mirrored her, the screen's inferno mirrored in his gaze, leaving him mute.

A plane disaster.

Utterly uncommon.

Yet moments ago, he'd pushed his girl to flee swiftly.

"Zhu Xuan..."

Jin mother reflexively clasped her daughter's hand, discovering it chilled to the bone.

She glanced over instinctively, finding her daughter fixed blankly on the TV, her response far fiercer than to Liu Junxiang's news, her frame quivering without control.

"Zhu Xuan, Zhu Xuan..."

Jin mother called urgently, yet Zhu Xuan tuned out all outside noise, her vision crammed with the wreckage's ruins.

"Oh, pa..."